What do you think of this article? I have to admit this is a concern of mine when it comes to Episode VII. I feel like Abrams and Kasdan are going to focus too much on trying to make Episode VII feel and be like the original films. It should really have its own voice and not focus on pandering to fans. Move forward and not backward.

One thing that can’t be said about J.J. Abrams’s Star Wars at this early stage: It’s not reverential enough to the source material. With each new piece of information released about the project, it’s clear that Abrams and his collaborators have the earlier movies -- and, most obviously, the original trilogy from the 1970s and '80s -- in mind as both inspiration and target of aspiration.

This week, The Hollywood Reporter exclusively reported that Tatooine, the home planet of the Skywalker clan, is being re-created for the new movie, and Peter Mayhew will return for the new movie as Chewbacca, the Wookiee, joining the rumored Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher appearances and an R2-D2 role (Somewhere, C-3PO and Billy Dee Williams have to be sitting by their phones anxiously).

The as-yet-untitled Episode VII will also shoot at Pinewood Studios, reportedly eschew CGI for practical effects and bring John Williams in to score the movie. That’s in addition to bringing in Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi veteran Lawrence Kasdan to co-write the screenplay with Abrams (replacing Michael Arndt) and including Ben Burtt (Star Wars: Episodes I - VI) to oversee sound design. The only surprise casting choice so far for Episode VII may be Girls actor Adam Driver, who is in talks to play a villain, sources confirmed to THR in late February.

All of these many parallels between projects speak to a continuity between the relaunched franchise and its original incarnation that is likely to calm the nerves of many an anxious fan.

But it also may point to Abrams’ own Star Wars fandom -- he has spoken on numerous occasions about the impact George Lucas’ original trilogy had on him -- and bring a nostalgia to the new series that could overwhelm its forward momentum if left unchecked. (Disney chief Alan Horn, in an interview with THR's Stephen Galloway on April 2, admitted problems with getting the script right and revealed that the film is already shooting.)

As much as it pains older fans of the franchise, the original Star Wars movie is more than three decades old (Return of the Jedi celebrated its 30th anniversary last year). For the new series -- which will be set 30 years after the events of Jedi -- to succeed, it has to do more than comfort existing fans; it must offer new hope to a new generation.

Early rumors about the female lead in the movie -- who would be an active player in the story and not space royalty a la Princess Leia or Queen Amidala in the two earlier trilogies -- suggested a welcome break from Star Wars tradition, as have suggestions that Lupita Nyong'o or another actor of color could play a primary role in the movie; both moves could make the movie more inviting to a wider audience.

Abrams himself has said as much. In an interview with The Times of London last November, he noted that, "The beauty of [the original Star Wars] was that it was an unfamiliar world, and yet you wanted to see it expand and to see where it went." From what little we know about Star Wars: Episode VII, it’s clear that Abrams and Lucasfilm hold what’s come before in high esteem -- what we need now is to know that it’s a movie as interested in the future as it is in the past.

Thu Apr 10, 2014 12:29 am

H.I. McDonough

Director

Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:09 pmPosts: 1350

Re: Could Episode VII be too enamored with the original SW films

This concerns me as well. Immediately shifting focus to the next generation of Skywalkers makes more sense continuity-wise for the whole series. There's no need to make Episode VII a nostalgia-fueled passing of the torch. No matter how hard you try, these films are never going to be like when you first saw Episodes IV-VI in theaters upon their original releases. While movies don't really change, times - and people - do. Granted, the tools used for making movies change as well. I seem to be one of the few people who doesn't need a visual effect to actually physically be there on screen to believe it (perhaps the fact that I don't play video games gives me an advantage ), so I couldn't care less about the emphasis on more practical FX. This IS Fantasy, after all. Plus, as the bonus disc from the Blu-ray box set showed, there was a lot more practical FX used in the prequels than you would have thought. I just hope Abrams doesn't get too carried away in nostalgia for the originals that it totally compromises Lucas' original story outline for this trilogy (which I would assume they're using given that Lucas' own biographer has said on record that he considered this trilogy to be the best of the 4 total trilogies Lucas had outlined [yes, there's a projected Episodes X-XII as well ] -- strictly on paper, of course). I liked "Super 8," but there were definite flaws to it. And this time this isn't a mere homage to family-oriented adventure movies from the '80s and late '70s; it actually IS one.

Thu Apr 10, 2014 1:51 am

Vexer

Auteur

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 12:02 pmPosts: 3850Location: Zion, IL

Re: Could Episode VII be too enamored with the original SW films

Eh, i'm not concerned at all, i'm sure it will be great no matter what.

I'm personally not overly concerned about Abrams being enamored with and reverential towards the original story. I personally feel that the original 3 films, plus the 3 prequels already tell a complete story and there is no need to further expand on the Star Wars universe, but I'm not going to judge on any such film until after it has been made and released.

Thu Apr 10, 2014 2:55 pm

Ragnarok73

Cinematographer

Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2012 4:40 pmPosts: 545

Re: Could Episode VII be too enamored with the original SW films

So J.J. Abrams wants the new films to pay homage to the original trilogy. What is the problem with that, exactly?

Given that they are follow-ups to that trilogy, this only makes sense. I like the notion of focusing more on using practical effects than a bunch of computers to create the visuals. More importantly, Abrams is a better storyteller after being kicked in the head by a stallion 20 times than Lucas will ever be.

_________________"Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain."

Thu Apr 10, 2014 3:17 pm

ck100

Second Unit Director

Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2012 8:07 pmPosts: 218

Re: Could Episode VII be too enamored with the original SW films

Ragnarok73 wrote:

So J.J. Abrams wants the new films to pay homage to the original trilogy. What is the problem with that, exactly?

Given that they are follow-ups to that trilogy, this only makes sense. I like the notion of focusing more on using practical effects than a bunch of computers to create the visuals. More importantly, Abrams is a better storyteller after being kicked in the head by a stallion 20 times than Lucas will ever be.

Why bother making another Star Wars film if all it's going to do is pay homage to the original trilogy? It's just a waste. It also shows a lack of ambition and original ideas. It also feels like you're just rehashing stuff that's been done before and done better. It feels like you're just playing it safe.

Thu Apr 10, 2014 4:56 pm

Ragnarok73

Cinematographer

Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2012 4:40 pmPosts: 545

Re: Could Episode VII be too enamored with the original SW films

ck100 wrote:

Ragnarok73 wrote:

So J.J. Abrams wants the new films to pay homage to the original trilogy. What is the problem with that, exactly?

Given that they are follow-ups to that trilogy, this only makes sense. I like the notion of focusing more on using practical effects than a bunch of computers to create the visuals. More importantly, Abrams is a better storyteller after being kicked in the head by a stallion 20 times than Lucas will ever be.

Why bother making another Star Wars film if all it's going to do is pay homage to the original trilogy? It's just a waste. It also shows a lack of ambition and original ideas. It also feels like you're just rehashing stuff that's been done before and done better. It feels like you're just playing it safe.

There is a huge difference between "paying homage" and "being a direct ripoff", so let's cool the jets, Green Bay. If Lucas had done the follow-up films, they likely would have been taking place almost directly after the original trilogy. The age of the actors involved makes that pretty much an impossibility now, but I don't see an issue with relating the new trilogy to events of the original since chronologically they take place afterward. We should see how much the new trilogy draws upon the original for its storyline and characters before we decide that it's a piece of crap like the prequel trilogy was.

_________________"Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain."

Thu Apr 10, 2014 6:01 pm

MGamesCook

Producer

Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2012 7:44 pmPosts: 2050

Re: Could Episode VII be too enamored with the original SW films

Quote:

Abrams is a better storyteller after being kicked in the head by a stallion 20 times than Lucas will ever be.

Wow. I'm not Lucas's biggest fan in the world, but uh...no, not quite.

Thu Apr 10, 2014 7:37 pm

Ragnarok73

Cinematographer

Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2012 4:40 pmPosts: 545

Re: Could Episode VII be too enamored with the original SW films

MGamesCook wrote:

Quote:

Abrams is a better storyteller after being kicked in the head by a stallion 20 times than Lucas will ever be.

Wow. I'm not Lucas's biggest fan in the world, but uh...no, not quite.

Yeah, quite, but this isn't to say that Abrams is the greatest ever. Saying that someone is a better storyteller than George Lucas isn't really saying much. It would be much like saying that someone smells better than an open sewage pit.

_________________"Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain."

Thu Apr 10, 2014 7:48 pm

Vexer

Auteur

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 12:02 pmPosts: 3850Location: Zion, IL

Re: Could Episode VII be too enamored with the original SW films

Ragnarok73 wrote:

MGamesCook wrote:

Quote:

Abrams is a better storyteller after being kicked in the head by a stallion 20 times than Lucas will ever be.

Wow. I'm not Lucas's biggest fan in the world, but uh...no, not quite.

Yeah, quite, but this isn't to say that Abrams is the greatest ever. Saying that someone is a better storyteller than George Lucas isn't really saying much. It would be much like saying that someone smells better than an open sewage pit.

I think Lucas is an OK storyteller, it's the dialogue where he slips up, though I personally quite enjoy the prequel trilogy in spite of that.

Thu Apr 10, 2014 7:53 pm

H.I. McDonough

Director

Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:09 pmPosts: 1350

Re: Could Episode VII be too enamored with the original SW films

There's nothing fundamentally wrong with the prequel trilogy storyline. You can question/bitch about its execution all you want. Lucas is a great 'story man,' but needs an actual screenwriter to help carry out said ideas.

Fri Apr 11, 2014 7:57 am

Awf Hand

Second Unit Director

Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2012 10:26 amPosts: 272

Re: Could Episode VII be too enamored with the original SW films

Perhaps Abrams will create an alternate timeline in which...

(It's Friday and it's been a long week. I'm handing this ball off to whoever will carry it)

_______________________________________________My milkshake bringeth all thee gentlefolk to mine yard. Verily, 'tis better than thine. I would instruct thee, but I must levy a fee.

Fri Apr 11, 2014 2:38 pm

Ken

Director

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 6:26 pmPosts: 1728

Re: Could Episode VII be too enamored with the original SW films

...in which good guys are bad guys and bad guys are good guys. As we know, JJ Abrams is great at not cannibalizing ideas that have been done successfully before.

_________________The temptation is to like what you should like--not what you do like... another temptation is to come up with an interesting reason for liking it that may not actually be the reason you like it.

Fri Apr 11, 2014 3:39 pm

nitrium

Director

Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2012 2:42 pmPosts: 1470Location: New Zealand

Re: Could Episode VII be too enamored with the original SW films

I personally would have preferred the whole original hexology were just laid to rest. Doing a movie franchise based on Knights of the Old Republic, for example, would have been a LOT more interesting than digging up the rotten cadaver of the long dead horse for one more beating.

Fri Apr 11, 2014 9:08 pm

Vexer

Auteur

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 12:02 pmPosts: 3850Location: Zion, IL

Re: Could Episode VII be too enamored with the original SW films

nitrium wrote:

I personally would have preferred the whole original hexology were just laid to rest. Doing a movie franchise based on Knights of the Old Republic, for example, would have been a LOT more interesting than digging up the rotten cadaver of the long dead horse for one more beating.

Strongly disagree, Star Wars has plenty of life left in it IMO.

Fri Apr 11, 2014 11:01 pm

nitrium

Director

Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2012 2:42 pmPosts: 1470Location: New Zealand

Re: Could Episode VII be too enamored with the original SW films

Vexer wrote:

nitrium wrote:

I personally would have preferred the whole original hexology were just laid to rest. Doing a movie franchise based on Knights of the Old Republic, for example, would have been a LOT more interesting than digging up the rotten cadaver of the long dead horse for one more beating.

I personally would have preferred the whole original hexology were just laid to rest. Doing a movie franchise based on Knights of the Old Republic, for example, would have been a LOT more interesting than digging up the rotten cadaver of the long dead horse for one more beating.

I'm well aware of KOTOR, but i'm not so sure a multiple-choice narrative will translate well to film.

Sat Apr 12, 2014 3:46 am

Sexual Chocolate

Director

Joined: Sun Jun 20, 2010 4:04 pmPosts: 1834Location: New Hampshire

Re: Could Episode VII be too enamored with the original SW films

I actually like where Abrams is going so far. He seems to be subtly taking the position of "Yeah, I know George fucked up the prequels, so I'm going to try to make the best film I can for the fans." I approve of that, and hopefully Episode VII will be a worthy successor to the original trilogy.

_________________Death is pretty finalI'm collecting vinylI'm gonna DJ at the end of the world.

Sat Apr 12, 2014 6:20 am

MGamesCook

Producer

Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2012 7:44 pmPosts: 2050

Re: Could Episode VII be too enamored with the original SW films

People love to shit on the prequels, but in May 2005 everyone was pumped for it and many had fun with it and were reasonably satisfied. I guess people are too proud to admit that now. And Revenge of the Sith is a reasonably fun movie with strong action scenes and some good acting and production value that makes Super 8 look like Blair Witch Project.

I can also guarantee you that Ep 7 will incorporate some aspects of the world which were introduced in the prequels, and I think him subtly suggesting that they suck is a bit of a reach on your part.

Sat Apr 12, 2014 7:14 am

Ragnarok73

Cinematographer

Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2012 4:40 pmPosts: 545

Re: Could Episode VII be too enamored with the original SW films

MGamesCook wrote:

People love to shit on the prequels, but in May 2005 everyone was pumped for it and many had fun with it and were reasonably satisfied. I guess people are too proud to admit that now. And Revenge of the Sith is a reasonably fun movie with strong action scenes and some good acting and production value that makes Super 8 look like Blair Witch Project.

I think you overestimate the level of anticipation that anyone over the age of 14 had for the last installment of that trilogy. I wasn't "pumped"- I was just thinking, "Well, let's see how this train-wreck ends." when I saw this film on a television a few years later.

_________________"Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain."

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